Bidirectional pump

ABSTRACT

Provided is a bidirectional pump, including a housing comprising a fluid inlet, and first and second fluid outlets that communicate with the fluid inlet and face each other; an impeller disposed in the housing, and rotating in a forward direction or in a reverse direction; a motor configured to impart a rotating force to the impeller; and a diaphragm disposed between the first and second fluid outlets in the housing, and deformed according to pressure exerted by rotation of the impeller, wherein the diaphragm closes either of the first and second fluid outlets according to a rotating direction of the impeller.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority benefit of Korean PatentApplication No. 10-2019-0009714, filed on Jan. 25, 2019 in the KoreanIntellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporatedherein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates to bidirectional pump and, moreparticularly, to a bidirectional pump that can adjust the dischargedirection of fluid according to the rotating direction of a singlemotor.

Related Art

Generally, a bidirectional pump is a device that is used in a washingmachine or a dishwasher and is used to change a water supply directionaccording to the circulation mode and the drainage mode of the washingmachine or the dishwasher.

A conventional bidirectional pump has a motor and an impeller on each oftwo water supply paths to adjust a water supply direction. Thisbidirectional pump is problematic in that its structure is complex, itsinstallation cost is expensive, and replacement and repair aredifficult.

In order to solve the problems, a bidirectional pump that may supplywater in either direction through an electronic valve while having onlyone motor and impeller has been developed. However, this bidirectionalpump is problematic in that the installation cost of the electronicvalve is also expensive, and it is impossible to completely excludemalfunction due to electronic defects.

Furthermore, this bidirectional pump is problematic in that closing anyone of paths (or holes) through which water is supplied via a linearmember so as to change a water supply direction makes it difficult toensure reliability.

Moreover, there has not been proposed a structure that can minimize theflow resistance of water even when a water supply direction is changed.

Meanwhile, as a housing defining an exterior of the bidirectional pumpis not integrally formed but is manufactured as an assembly, water mayunexpectedly flow out due to high pressure generated in thebidirectional pump.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure provides a bidirectional pump that can adjust awater supply direction while having a single motor and impeller.

The present disclosure also provides a bidirectional pump that canminimize flow resistance while guiding the change of a water supplydirection.

The present disclosure also provides a bidirectional pump including ahousing that can prevent water from leaking out.

Objects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentionedobjects. Other objects that are not mentioned herein may be more clearlyunderstood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

In an aspect, a bidirectional pump may include a housing including afluid inlet, and first and second fluid outlets that communicate withthe fluid inlet and face each other; an impeller rotating in a forwarddirection or in a reverse direction; a motor; and a diaphragm disposedbetween the first and second fluid outlets in the housing, and deformedaccording to pressure exerted by rotation of the impeller, wherein thediaphragm closes either of the first and second fluid outlets accordingto a rotating direction of the impeller.

The diaphragm may include a fixing part fixed to the housing; an insertpart configured such that a portion thereof is insertable into either ofthe first and second fluid outlets; and a deforming part connecting thefixing part and the insert part to each other, and deformable towardseither of the first and second fluid outlets.

The deforming part may be an elastic body, may be wrinkled before thedeformation, and may be unwrinkled after the deformation.

The insert part may be formed in a spherical shape, and may have adiameter smaller than a diameter of each of the first and second fluidoutlets.

The housing may include a groove part into which the fixing part isinserted, and the fixing part may be detachably fixed to the groovepart.

The bidirectional pump may further include a partition wall disposed inthe housing, and guiding flow of fluid from the fluid inlet to either ofthe first and second fluid outlets.

The housing may be integrally formed to prevent the fluid from flowingin and out at positions other than the fluid inlet and the first andsecond fluid outlets.

Other objects that are not mentioned herein may be fully deduced fromthe following description of embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a bidirectional pump accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an installed state of a diaphragmaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the diaphragm when an impelleraccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure is not rotated.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the diaphragm isdeformed to close a first fluid outlet when the impeller according tothe embodiment of the present disclosure rotates in a forward direction.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the diaphragm isdeformed to close a second fluid outlet when the impeller according tothe embodiment of the present disclosure rotates in a reverse direction.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The above and other objects, features and other advantages of thepresent disclosure will be more clearly understood from the followingdetailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings. However, the disclosure should not be limited to embodimentsset forth herein but may be implemented in a variety of forms. Theembodiments described herein are provided to make the disclosurecomplete and to fully convey the spirit of the invention to thoseskilled in the art. The disclosure is defined merely by the scope ofclaims. The same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings todesignate the same components.

It will be understood that when a component is referred to as being“coupled to” or “connected to” another component, it may be directlycoupled or connected to the other element or intervening components maybe present therebetween.

The present disclosure may be described with reference to a spatialorthogonal coordinate system by X, Y, and Z axes that are shown in FIG.1 and the like and are orthogonal to each other. Each axis direction(X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and Z-axis direction) means bothdirections in which each axis extends. A symbol ‘+’ added to a front ofeach axis direction (+X-axis direction, +Y-axis direction, +Z-axisdirection) means any one of both directions in which each axis extends,namely, a positive direction. A symbol ‘−’ added to a front of each axisdirection (−X-axis direction, −Y-axis direction, −Z-axis direction)means a remaining one of both directions in which each axis extends,namely, a negative direction.

Hereinafter, a bidirectional pump according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a bidirectional pump accordingto an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a diagramillustrating an installed state of a diaphragm according to anembodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 3 is a diagram illustratingthe diaphragm when an impeller according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure is not rotated, FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state inwhich the diaphragm is deformed to close a first fluid outlet when theimpeller according to the embodiment of the present disclosure rotatesin a forward direction, and FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state inwhich the diaphragm is deformed to close a second fluid outlet when theimpeller according to the embodiment of the present disclosure rotatesin a reverse direction.

The bidirectional pump 100 according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure may be a device that is used in a washing machine or adishwasher.

By way of example, it is necessary to supply water into a tub or drainwater to an outside during a washing operation. To this end, a devicefor changing a water supply (discharge) direction is required. Hence,the bidirectional pump 100 according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure may be used.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bidirectional pump 100 according to theembodiment of the present disclosure includes a housing 10, an impeller40, a motor 30, and a diaphragm 60.

The housing 10 may define an exterior of the bidirectional pump 100, andmay be made in various shapes as well as a shape shown in FIG. 1.

A fluid inlet 21, a first fluid outlet 22, and a second fluid outlet 23may be formed in the housing 10.

The fluid such as water may be introduced into the housing 10 throughthe fluid inlet 21. In this case, the relevant fluid may pass through afilter (not shown). The fluid introduced into the housing 10 through thefluid inlet 21 may be discharged through either of the first and secondfluid outlets 22 and 23 to the outside of the housing 10.

That is, the first and second fluid outlets 22 and 23 communicate withthe fluid inlet 21. Furthermore, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the first andsecond fluid outlets 22 and 23 may be arranged to face each other.Center lines of the first and second fluid outlets 22 and 23 may be on acommon axis (Y-axis).

The impeller 40 may be disposed in the housing 10. The impeller 40 mayrotate in both directions. The impeller 40 may rotate in a forwarddirection or in a reverse direction. In this regard, the forwarddirection may mean a counterclockwise direction, and the reversedirection may mean a clockwise direction.

The impeller 40 may rotate in the forward direction or in the reversedirection, and may transfer kinetic energy to fluid introduced into thehousing 10 through the fluid inlet 21. In other words, the fluidintroduced into the housing 10 through the fluid inlet 21 may becompressed by the rotation of the impeller 40 and then may be dischargedto the outside through either of the first and second fluid outlets 22and 23.

The impeller 40 may be manufactured in various types, such as a rotarytype, a turbine type, or a propeller type. However, in order to transferthe same kinetic energy to the fluid introduced into the housing 10through the fluid inlet 21 regardless of a rotating direction, theimpeller 40 may be preferably provided with a vane arranged parallel toa rotation axis (Z-axis) of the impeller 40.

The motor 30 may impart a rotating force to the impeller 40. That is, asthe motor 30 rotates, the impeller 40 may be rotated. According to therotating direction of the motor 30, the rotating direction of theimpeller 40 may be determined. In other words, as the motor 30 rotatesin the forward direction or in the reverse direction, the impeller 40connected to the motor 30 may also rotate in the forward direction or inthe reverse direction.

If the fluid such as water is introduced into the motor 30, this maylead to serious defects. As shown in FIG. 1, the motor 30 is preferablydisposed outside of the housing 10. Although not shown in the drawings,a sealing member may be further included to prevent the fluid fromflowing through a connecting structure of the motor 30 and the impeller40 into the motor 30.

As described above, the bidirectional pump 100 according to theembodiment of the present disclosure has only one motor 30 and oneimpeller 40. Thus, when comparing this bidirectional pump 100 with aconventional bidirectional pump having two motors and two impellers, theformer reduces cost and make it easier to replace and repair.

The bidirectional pump 100 according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure may control which of the first or second fluid outlet 22 or23 the fluid introduced into the housing 10 through the fluid inlet 21is discharged to, via the diaphragm 60 that is deformed according to therotating directions of the motor 30 and the impeller 40. This will bedescribed below in detail.

As shown in FIG. 1, the diaphragm 60 may be disposed in the housing 10,and may be disposed between the first and second fluid outlets 22 and23. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the diaphragm 60 may include an insertpart 61, a deforming part 62, and a fixing part 63.

The fixing part 63 is a member that is fixed to the housing 10. In thisconnection, as shown in FIG. 2, the housing 10 may include a main body11 that defines an entire exterior, and a groove part 12 that extendsinwards from the main body 11. The fixing part 63 may be detachablyfixed to the groove part 12 of the housing 10.

The fixing part 63 located at an end of the diaphragm 60 may be fixed tothe groove part 12, so that the diaphragm 60 may be fixed to theinterior of the housing 10. Furthermore, as described above, since thefixing part 63 is detachably fixed to the groove part 12, it is easy toreplace and repair the diaphragm 60.

Meanwhile, according to the present disclosure, the groove part 12 isprovided on each of upper and lower portions in the Z-axis direction ofthe bidirectional pump 100. However, a plurality of groove parts may beprovided in other directions. That is, the shape and number of thegroove parts are not limited.

The deforming part 62 may be disposed between the fixing part 63 and theinsert part 61 that will be described later, thus connecting the fixingpart 63 and the insert part 61 to each other. The deforming part 62 maybe deformed towards either of the first and second fluid outlets 22 and23.

The deforming part 62 may be deformed according to pressure exerted bythe rotation of the impeller 40. To be more specific, when pressureacting on one side of the deforming part 62 is larger than pressureacting on the other side that is opposite to one side, the deformingpart 62 may be deformed towards the other side. In contrast, whenpressure acting on the other side of the deforming part 62 is largerthan pressure acting on one side, the deforming part 62 may be deformedtowards one side.

By way of example, as shown in FIG. 4, if the impeller 40 rotates in theforward direction, pressure in +Y-axis direction with respect to thedeforming part 62 becomes larger than pressure in −Y-axis direction, sothat the deforming part 62 may be deformed in +Y-axis direction, thatis, towards the first fluid outlet 22.

In contrast, as shown in FIG. 5, if the impeller 40 rotates in thereverse direction, pressure in −Y-axis direction with respect to thedeforming part 62 becomes larger than pressure in +Y-axis direction, sothat the deforming part 62 may be deformed in −Y-axis direction, thatis, towards the second fluid outlet 23.

As described above, since the deforming part 62 may be deformed andrestored, the deforming part may be made of an elastic body. That is,the material of the deforming part 62 may be a rubber material.

Further, since the deforming part is disposed in the middle of the firstand second fluid outlets 22 and 23 before the deformation as shown inFIG. 3, and the deforming part is biased towards either of the first andsecond fluid outlets 22 and 23 after the deformation as shown in FIGS. 4and 5, it is necessary to adjust a distance between the fixing part 63and the insert part 61.

Thus, the deforming part 62 according to the present disclosure may bewrinkled as shown in FIG. 3 before the deformation, and may beunwrinkled as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 after the deformation.

In this case, in order to ensure the reliability of closing the firstand second fluid outlets 22 and 23 by the deforming part 62, thedeforming part 62 is preferably restored to a wrinkled shape as shown inFIG. 3 when the impeller 40 is not rotated.

The insert part 61 may be disposed on the center of the diaphragm 60.That is, as shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the insert part 61 may belocated at the center and the deforming part 62 and the fixing part 63may be located outside the insert part.

The center of the insert part 61 may be present on the center lines ofthe first and second fluid outlets 22 and 23. A portion of the insertpart 61 may be inserted into either of the first and second fluidoutlets 22 and 23.

That is, a portion of the insert part 61 may be inserted into either ofthe first and second fluid outlets 22 and 23, thus closing acorresponding outlet.

To this end, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the insert part 61 isformed in a spherical shape, the diameter of the insert part 61 may besmaller than the diameter of each of the first and second fluid outlets22 and 23. Furthermore, the insert part 61 may be formed of a rubbermaterial.

When a portion of the insert part 61 is inserted into either of thefirst and second fluid outlets 22 and 23, they are in surface contactwith each other. As compared with a point contact or a line contact whenthe outlet is closed by a linear member, the surface contact allows thefluid to be more reliably sealed.

In summary, in the bidirectional pump 100 according to the presentdisclosure, when the impeller 40 rotates in the forward direction, thedeforming part 62 is deformed towards the first fluid outlet 22, so thata portion of the insert part 61 is inserted into the first fluid outlet22, and thereby the fluid introduced into the housing 10 through thefluid inlet 21 can be discharged to the outside through the second fluidoutlet 23.

Furthermore, when the impeller 40 rotates in the reverse direction, thedeforming part 62 is deformed towards the second fluid outlet 23, sothat a portion of the insert part 61 is inserted into the second fluidoutlet 23, and thereby the fluid introduced into the housing 10 throughthe fluid inlet 21 can be discharged to the outside through the firstfluid outlet 22.

That is, the bidirectional pump 100 according to the present disclosuremay adjust a direction in which water is supplied (discharged), via thediaphragm 60 that is deformed by the rotation of the single motor 30 andthe impeller 40. In this case, it is easy to replace and repair thediaphragm 60, and the outlet can be more reliably closed by thediaphragm 60.

Meanwhile, when the fluid discharge direction is changed by thedeformation of the diaphragm 60, it is necessary to make the flow of thefluid smoother.

To this end, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the bidirectional pump 100according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may furtherinclude a partition wall 15 that is disposed in the housing 10 andguides the flow of the fluid from the fluid inlet 21 to either of thefirst and second fluid outlets 22 and 23.

The partition wall 15 may be formed as a portion of the chamber 14.Here, the chamber 14 may be disposed in the housing 10, and mayaccommodate the impeller 40 and a plate 50 therein.

A portion of the partition wall 15 may be fixedly inserted into theplate 50, and the partition wall may be disposed in the middle of apassage through which the fluid flows. Thereby, the flow of the fluidmay be guided from the fluid inlet 21 to either of the first and secondfluid outlets 22 and 23.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the width of the partition wall 15 may bereduced downstream of the fluid flow from the fluid inlet to either ofthe first and second fluid outlets. Thereby, it is possible to naturallyguide the flow of the fluid, thus minimizing flow resistance.

The housing 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure maynot be an assembly made by assembling a plurality of members but may beintegrally formed as a single member. Thereby, it is possible to preventfluid flowing at high pressure in the housing 10 from flowing out atpositions other than the fluid inlet 21 and the first and second fluidoutlets 22 and 23.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 1, the bidirectional pump 100 according tothe embodiment of the present disclosure may further include a stopper70. The interior of the housing 10 is accessible through the stopper 70,so that it is possible to remove foreign matter present in the housing10 or to replace and repair components including the filter, thediaphragm 60, etc.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 1, the bidirectional pump 100 according tothe embodiment of the present disclosure may be placed on a support 80.However, a member and a means for fixing the bidirectional pump 100 arenot limited particularly.

The bidirectional pump 100 according to the embodiment of the presentdisclosure may further include a controller 90. The controller 90 maycontrol the rotation and the rotating directions of the motor 30 and theimpeller 40.

The controller 90 may be implemented using at least one of applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs),digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices(PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers,micro-controllers, microprocessors, and electric units for performingother functions.

As described above, the bidirectional pump according to the embodimentof the present disclosure has been described with reference to theaccompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited tothe above-described embodiment, and various modifications andequivalents may be made by those skilled in the art without departingfrom the scope of the present disclosure.

According to the present disclosure, one or more effects are as follows.

First, a water supply direction can be changed by closing either offirst and second fluid outlets through a diaphragm that is deformedaccording to pressure exerted by the rotation of a single motor andimpeller.

Second, it is possible to minimize flow resistance while guiding theflow of fluid from a fluid inlet to either of first and second fluidoutlets through a partition wall disposed in a housing.

Third, since a housing defining an exterior of a bidirectional pump isintegrally formed, it is possible to prevent water from unexpectedlyflowing out.

What is claimed is:
 1. A bidirectional pump, comprising: a housingcomprising a fluid inlet, and first and second fluid outlets thatcommunicate with the fluid inlet and face each other; an impellerdisposed in the housing, and rotating in a forward direction or in areverse direction; a motor configured to impart a rotating force to theimpeller; and a diaphragm disposed between the first and second fluidoutlets in the housing, and deformed according to pressure exerted byrotation of the impeller, wherein the diaphragm closes either of thefirst and second fluid outlets according to a rotating direction of theimpeller.
 2. The bidirectional pump of claim 1, wherein the diaphragmcomprises: a fixing part fixed to the housing; an insert part configuredsuch that a portion thereof is insertable into either of the first andsecond fluid outlets; and a deforming part connecting the fixing partand the insert part to each other, and deformable towards either of thefirst and second fluid outlets.
 3. The bidirectional pump of claim 2,wherein the deforming part is an elastic body, is wrinkled before thedeformation, and is unwrinkled after the deformation.
 4. Thebidirectional pump of claim 3, wherein the insert part is formed in aspherical shape, and has a diameter smaller than a diameter of each ofthe first and second fluid outlets.
 5. The bidirectional pump of claim4, wherein, when the impeller rotates in the forward direction, thedeforming part is deformed towards the first fluid outlet so that aportion of the insert part is inserted into the first fluid outlet, andwhen the impeller rotates in the reverse direction, the deforming partis deformed towards the second fluid outlet so that a portion of theinsert part is inserted into the second fluid outlet.
 6. Thebidirectional pump of claim 2, wherein the housing comprises a groovepart into which the fixing part is inserted, and the fixing part isdetachably fixed to the groove part.
 7. The bidirectional pump of claim2, further comprising: a partition wall disposed in the housing, andguiding flow of fluid from the fluid inlet to either of the first andsecond fluid outlets.
 8. The bidirectional pump of claim 7, wherein awidth of the partition wall is reduced downstream of the fluid flow fromthe fluid inlet to either of the first and second fluid outlets.
 9. Thebidirectional pump of claim 1, wherein the housing is integrally formedto prevent the fluid from flowing in and out at positions other than thefluid inlet and the first and second fluid outlets.
 10. Thebidirectional pump of claim 1, comprising a controller configured tocontrol rotation and a rotating direction of the impeller.